Cognitive:Students will recognize and appreciate the difference between good and bad peer pressure and have mental tools to withstand bad peer pressure. Students will gain factual information about smoking, drinking and [[#|drug use]] that will encourage them to refrain from these activities.
Affective:Students will feel confident that they have tools to resist negative peer pressure and will want to resist such pressure.
Behavioral:Students will use the skills and tools learned in this chapter to stand up for what is right in peer pressure situations.
Classroom Session 1:
Talk about peer pressure. Ask the students to describe it with one word or with short phrases. Have the students compare the descriptions and then select, as a class, the best descriptors for peer pressure. Then divide the students into small groups. They should select a recorder. The groups should then brainstorm and list examples of bad peer pressure that they have either experienced, seen, or thought about. On a second piece of paper, the groups should list examples of good peer pressure, trying to be as specific as possible.
Ask the groups to share their lists with the class. Post them on the walls. Then talk about peer pressure as a class. Mention that, as the text points out, peer pressure can be a good or a bad thing.
Have students write the answers to the Questions for Discussion and then go over them in class, asking for students to volunteer their answers.
Questions for Discussion 1. What is peer pressure?
2. Give some examples of both good and bad peer pressure.
3. Why do you think people sometimes try to pressure others to do the wrong thing?
4. What can you do if your friends try to get you to do something you don’t feel is right?
5. What do you have in common with your friends?
6. What is the basis of your friendships?
7. Why do you think people [[#|smoke]], drink or use drugs?
8. How do they get started doing these things?
9. In what way could you exert positive influence on others to do good?
10. How do you feel about someone who stands up for what he believes, even in the face of opposition?
Point out that peer pressure may be very subtle, urging people toward certain ways of believing and acting so that they can belong to the crowd.
Have students read and respond to the Exercise "What Should I Do?" and score their own responses.
Exercise: “What Should I Do?”
The following are situations in which you may be influenced by the words or attitudes of your peers. Try to use your imagination to picture yourself in these situations even if they do not seem like ones in which you would actually find yourself. After each situation there are three possible reactions listed. Read carefully and try to pick the reaction that comes closest to what you might do. After you have circled this, you may write another reaction if you choose to do so. Think very carefully! Answer honestly, and do not write what you think you should do, but what you think you really would do. You do not have to show your responses to anyone, so do not worry about other people reading them.
1. Your parents give you a fur hat for your birthday that you really love. You know that your dad worked extra hours and has been saving money for a long time to able to purchase the hat. You are excited about your new hat; it's not like any other you have seen, but when you wear it to school the next day one of your friends says, "Where did you get that awful thing?" and another friend says, "Wow! That hat looks like it was made out of your dog's skin. You're not really going to wear that thing, are you?" If this happened to you what would you do?
a. Decide that you think the hat is really out of style, that you don't like it anyhow and you start to wear your old hat again.
b. You still like the hat, but you don't wear it in front of your friends anymore, only around your parents and other adults.
c. You really like the hat, and you don't really care what your friends say. Too bad if they don't like the hat! You keep wearing it to school and when you go to visit your friends.
2. There's a very unattractive pimple-faced boy in your class. This boy, Larry, acts like a real nerd. He gets on everyone’s nerves, including yours. Sometimes he brags about his academic honors, his father's foreign car or how well off his family is. He also does not get along with many of his teachers but often complains to them about how the other students treat him. One day you and a group of your friends are talking. Larry's name comes up, and they start to make mean jokes about him. Everyone is laughing. You begin to feel badly, knowing that one of the reasons Larry acts the way he does is because he has no friends and because all the kids treat him terribly. You do not like the jokes, and you feel really bothered that everyone is laughing about him, even though he is not your friend. What do you think you would do?
a. You laugh along with everyone else. You do not feel good about it, but you do not want the others to think you like him.
b. You don't laugh at the jokes, but you don't say anything against the jokes the others are making.
c. You don't laugh, in fact, you tell the others to quit picking on Larry.
3. You are a very conscientious student. On Monday you have a big test in algebra class. You know you can get an "A" on the exam if you study all weekend. You don't really mind staying home because your grades are important to you. Then your best friend calls on Saturday while you're studying and invites you to a party. He tells you that only the most popular people are being invited. If you stay home and study your friends will really look down on you. "Come on," your best friend says, "Who cares about the stupid test? The only thing that universities care about is your final exam grades!" What do you do?
a. Forget the test. Your friend is right; it doesn't really matter. You go to the party with your friend.
b. You go to the party, but the thought of not doing well on the test is really nagging you. You leave early, even though your friends act like you're an idiot when you do.
c. You don't go to the party, and do well on the test on Monday.
4. Your English teacher has asked for opinions on a story you just read as a class. So far, everyone basically has the same viewpoint. You have a different opinion, and so does Bob, the class nerd. He is wildly waving his hand and wants to share his viewpoint, which is always different. He acts like a real know-it -all, and usually makes everyone feel irritated. After he shares his idea, the teacher calls on you. Although you agree with Bob, if you say what you really think everyone will look down on you. What do you do?
a. No way are you going to say what you really think. You give an opinion that is acceptable and similar to the rest of the class.
b. You straddle the fence, giving part of your real opinion but mixing it with the general viewpoint of the class so it doesn’t appear that you agree with Bob.
c. You give your real opinion. You don't make the other classmates ideas look stupid, but you clearly state how you feel, even though it is the same opinion Bob has.
5. One day you go over to a friend's house where a bunch of your buddies are hanging out. Your friend's parents aren't home, and your friends begin to drink. They are passing around a bottle of beer, and there's plenty more of it when this one's finished. You don't want to drink it; you don't even like beer. You feel really uncomfortable because everyone else is doing it. You whisper to your best friend that you don't want any, but he just laughs and says, "Give it a try; don't be a baby." What do you do?
a. You drink the beer because everyone else is and you don't want them to laugh at you or talk about you behind your back.
b. You make up an excuse to avoid drinking the beer like, "I'm taking medication for the flu and it would be bad to mix the two."
c. You just say, "No, thanks," or "I don't really want any."
What Your Responses Mean
Talk with the students about the meaning of a, b, c, and d responses. Have the students return to their original small groups from the beginning of this lesson and develop a plan for how they can change to become a good or better person. They should be encouraged to support each other in creating a good plan and in following through with that plan.
Ask students to do the Reflection Exercise about the friend with alcohol. Have volunteers give their suggestions to the whole class.
Reflection Exercise Imagine that one of your good friends has a problem with alcohol. He began drinking socially with your group of friends to feel more relaxed and free, but after a short time you noticed that he seemed to be behaving differently in school — sometimes falling asleep during class, other times being rude to the teacher, and some days not coming to school at all. You also noticed that he was not finishing his schoolwork, and that his grades on exams were getting lower and lower. You want to help him. He is your friend, and you can see clearly that he has a problem with drinking. What would you do in this situation?
Classroom Session 2:
Under the section What are the possible consequences of my actions? there are some suggestions of things to say when a person does not want to do what everyone is doing and urging him or her to do. Have students read these over.
"I feel really bad about doing this."
"I don't feel good about this."
"I don't feel comfortable doing this."
"If I do this, I know I'll be sorry later."
"I don't think this is right."
"No, thanks."
"My parents would kill me if I did that."
"No, thanks. I don't want to get grounded (or in trouble.)"
Discuss with the class what they can do after using these responses. Guide the class to recognize the value of physically getting out of the situation as quickly as they can. Create a list that can be posted on the wall as a reminder for the students.
After the brainstorming, break the students into groups of three or four. Each group is to write a short drama in which one of the actors is being pressured by the rest of the group to do something that they know to be wrong. Each group should select one or two of the suggested methods listed that the person being pressured will use in order to do the right thing and not fall to the pressure of the group. Have each group present their play to the class. Make sure they include physically exiting the situation.
Discuss the dramas and draw some conclusions from among the students as to what are effective responses to peer pressure.
For the next part of the lesson, you will read a series of statements concerning smoking, drinking, and drug use. Ask students to guess out loud whether the statements you are going to read are true or false. Some of the students will know other facts that they will want to share. Some will question some of these facts. Explain that the facts were researched by the authors of the book and are reliable.
What Do You Really Know about Smoking, Drinking and Drugs?
Smoking 1. 25% of all cancer deaths are attributed to tobacco use. (True) 2. Smoking as few as 1-4 cigarettes a day doubles the risk of heart disease. (True) 3. Lung cancer caused by smoking is the number one cancer killer among men. (True) 4. The substances which make up a cigarette are not good for you, but they are not poisonous. (False) 5. Most people addicted to cigarettes begin to smoke during their teen years. (True) 6. Secondary smoke (the smoke a non-smoking person inhales when with those who are smoking) is not harmful. (False) 7. One-third of all American hospital beds are occupied by people with tobacco-related diseases. (True) 8. 50% of all heart disease deaths in women are a result of smoking. (True) 9. One cigarette a day is not harmful for a healthy person. (False) 10. Among women, lung cancer caused by smoking kills more than breast cancer. (True)
Drinking 1. A healthy man can safely drink three beers in an hour without feeling out of control or sluggish. (False) 2. Alcohol mixed with certain other drugs may cause death. (True) 3. Hard liquor (whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, etc.) is worse for your body than other types of alcohol (wine, beer, etc.). (False) 4. Alcohol is a poison. (True) 5. At least half of all auto accidents are a result of drinking and driving. (True) 6. Alcohol impairs the drinker's ability to react quickly. (True) 7. Alcohol poisons the liver and can kill body tissue. (True) 8. Pregnant women should not drink because research has proven that alcohol can damage the unborn child and sometimes causes mental retardation. (True) 9. Most alcoholics are low class men who have little education. (False) 10. Alcohol impairs the senses, sometimes making the drinker feel warm in dangerously cold weather. (True) 11. A teenager can become an alcoholic from drinking just beer. (True) 12. Most alcoholics begin drinking before the age of twenty. (True) 13. Once an alcoholic decides to give up drinking, he/she can be cured. (False) 14. If you become an [[#|alcoholic]], you are an alcoholic for life. (True) 15. Some people drink in order to feel more relaxed and comfortable. (True) 16. Every time a person becomes drunk, he/she destroys brain cells which are impossible to replace. (True) 17. Alcohol is a drug which stimulates your central nervous system, making you feel free and energetic. (False)
Drugs 1. Most drugs do not cause serious health problems if used in moderation. (False) 2. People on drugs sometimes commit violent criminal offenses and do not remember the event later. (True) 3. Marijuana is associated with a loss of enthusiasm or interest in activities which the user once enjoyed. (True) 4. Cocaine can cause death after just one use. (True) 5. There are many unknown poisonous substances in every marijuana cigarette. (True) 6. After the use of certain drugs, like heroin, the user needs to use more of that substance to obtain the same effect. (True) 7. You cannot get AIDS from an infected drug needle. (False) 8. Drugs prescribed by a doctor can be harmful and cause serious health problems when taken for too long or improperly. (True) 9. Continued use of crack (cocaine) destroys your ability to experience pleasure. (True) 10. Marijuana has over 450 chemicals, some of which alter one’s thinking and affect different parts of the body. (True) 11. Some drugs, like heroin, cocaine, and opium, create a craving for them in the body so that getting and taking the drug feels like an actual survival need. (True)
Mention that these facts should help them make the decision as to whether to give in to peer pressure to smoke, drink, or use drugs.
Objectives
Cognitive: Students will recognize and appreciate the difference between good and bad peer pressure and have mental tools to withstand bad peer pressure. Students will gain factual information about smoking, drinking and [[#|drug use]] that will encourage them to refrain from these activities.
Affective: Students will feel confident that they have tools to resist negative peer pressure and will want to resist such pressure.
Behavioral: Students will use the skills and tools learned in this chapter to stand up for what is right in peer pressure situations.
Classroom Session 1:
Talk about peer pressure. Ask the students to describe it with one word or with short phrases. Have the students compare the descriptions and then select, as a class, the best descriptors for peer pressure. Then divide the students into small groups. They should select a recorder. The groups should then brainstorm and list examples of bad peer pressure that they have either experienced, seen, or thought about. On a second piece of paper, the groups should list examples of good peer pressure, trying to be as specific as possible.
Ask the groups to share their lists with the class. Post them on the walls. Then talk about peer pressure as a class. Mention that, as the text points out, peer pressure can be a good or a bad thing.
Have students write the answers to the Questions for Discussion and then go over them in class, asking for students to volunteer their answers.
Questions for Discussion
1. What is peer pressure?
2. Give some examples of both good and bad peer pressure.
3. Why do you think people sometimes try to pressure others to do the wrong thing?
4. What can you do if your friends try to get you to do something you don’t feel is right?
5. What do you have in common with your friends?
6. What is the basis of your friendships?
7. Why do you think people [[#|smoke]], drink or use drugs?
8. How do they get started doing these things?
9. In what way could you exert positive influence on others to do good?
10. How do you feel about someone who stands up for what he believes, even in the face of opposition?
Point out that peer pressure may be very subtle, urging people toward certain ways of believing and acting so that they can belong to the crowd.
Have students read and respond to the Exercise "What Should I Do?" and score their own responses.
Exercise: “What Should I Do?”
The following are situations in which you may be influenced by the words or attitudes of your peers. Try to use your imagination to picture yourself in these situations even if they do not seem like ones in which you would actually find yourself. After each situation there are three possible reactions listed. Read carefully and try to pick the reaction that comes closest to what you might do. After you have circled this, you may write another reaction if you choose to do so. Think very carefully! Answer honestly, and do not write what you think you should do, but what you think you really would do. You do not have to show your responses to anyone, so do not worry about other people reading them.
1. Your parents give you a fur hat for your birthday that you really love. You know that your dad worked extra hours and has been saving money for a long time to able to purchase the hat. You are excited about your new hat; it's not like any other you have seen, but when you wear it to school the next day one of your friends says, "Where did you get that awful thing?" and another friend says, "Wow! That hat looks like it was made out of your dog's skin. You're not really going to wear that thing, are you?" If this happened to you what would you do?
a. Decide that you think the hat is really out of style, that you don't like it anyhow and you start to wear your old hat again.
b. You still like the hat, but you don't wear it in front of your friends anymore, only around your parents and other adults.
c. You really like the hat, and you don't really care what your friends say. Too bad if they don't like the hat! You keep wearing it to school and when you go to visit your friends.
2. There's a very unattractive pimple-faced boy in your class. This boy, Larry, acts like a real nerd. He gets on everyone’s nerves, including yours. Sometimes he brags about his academic honors, his father's foreign car or how well off his family is. He also does not get along with many of his teachers but often complains to them about how the other students treat him. One day you and a group of your friends are talking. Larry's name comes up, and they start to make mean jokes about him. Everyone is laughing. You begin to feel badly, knowing that one of the reasons Larry acts the way he does is because he has no friends and because all the kids treat him terribly. You do not like the jokes, and you feel really bothered that everyone is laughing about him, even though he is not your friend. What do you think you would do?
a. You laugh along with everyone else. You do not feel good about it, but you do not want the others to think you like him.
b. You don't laugh at the jokes, but you don't say anything against the jokes the others are making.
c. You don't laugh, in fact, you tell the others to quit picking on Larry.
3. You are a very conscientious student. On Monday you have a big test in algebra class. You know you can get an "A" on the exam if you study all weekend. You don't really mind staying home because your grades are important to you. Then your best friend calls on Saturday while you're studying and invites you to a party. He tells you that only the most popular people are being invited. If you stay home and study your friends will really look down on you. "Come on," your best friend says, "Who cares about the stupid test? The only thing that universities care about is your final exam grades!" What do you do?
a. Forget the test. Your friend is right; it doesn't really matter. You go to the party with your friend.
b. You go to the party, but the thought of not doing well on the test is really nagging you. You leave early, even though your friends act like you're an idiot when you do.
c. You don't go to the party, and do well on the test on Monday.
4. Your English teacher has asked for opinions on a story you just read as a class. So far, everyone basically has the same viewpoint. You have a different opinion, and so does Bob, the class nerd. He is wildly waving his hand and wants to share his viewpoint, which is always different. He acts like a real know-it -all, and usually makes everyone feel irritated. After he shares his idea, the teacher calls on you. Although you agree with Bob, if you say what you really think everyone will look down on you. What do you do?
a. No way are you going to say what you really think. You give an opinion that is acceptable and similar to the rest of the class.
b. You straddle the fence, giving part of your real opinion but mixing it with the general viewpoint of the class so it doesn’t appear that you agree with Bob.
c. You give your real opinion. You don't make the other classmates ideas look stupid, but you clearly state how you feel, even though it is the same opinion Bob has.
5. One day you go over to a friend's house where a bunch of your buddies are hanging out. Your friend's parents aren't home, and your friends begin to drink. They are passing around a bottle of beer, and there's plenty more of it when this one's finished. You don't want to drink it; you don't even like beer. You feel really uncomfortable because everyone else is doing it. You whisper to your best friend that you don't want any, but he just laughs and says, "Give it a try; don't be a baby." What do you do?
a. You drink the beer because everyone else is and you don't want them to laugh at you or talk about you behind your back.
b. You make up an excuse to avoid drinking the beer like, "I'm taking medication for the flu and it would be bad to mix the two."
c. You just say, "No, thanks," or "I don't really want any."
What Your Responses Mean
Talk with the students about the meaning of a, b, c, and d responses. Have the students return to their original small groups from the beginning of this lesson and develop a plan for how they can change to become a good or better person. They should be encouraged to support each other in creating a good plan and in following through with that plan.
Ask students to do the Reflection Exercise about the friend with alcohol. Have volunteers give their suggestions to the whole class.
Reflection Exercise
Imagine that one of your good friends has a problem with alcohol. He began drinking socially with your group of friends to feel more relaxed and free, but after a short time you noticed that he seemed to be behaving differently in school — sometimes falling asleep during class, other times being rude to the teacher, and some days not coming to school at all. You also noticed that he was not finishing his schoolwork, and that his grades on exams were getting lower and lower. You want to help him. He is your friend, and you can see clearly that he has a problem with drinking. What would you do in this situation?
Classroom Session 2:
Under the section What are the possible consequences of my actions? there are some suggestions of things to say when a person does not want to do what everyone is doing and urging him or her to do. Have students read these over.
Discuss with the class what they can do after using these responses. Guide the class to recognize the value of physically getting out of the situation as quickly as they can. Create a list that can be posted on the wall as a reminder for the students.
After the brainstorming, break the students into groups of three or four. Each group is to write a short drama in which one of the actors is being pressured by the rest of the group to do something that they know to be wrong. Each group should select one or two of the suggested methods listed that the person being pressured will use in order to do the right thing and not fall to the pressure of the group. Have each group present their play to the class. Make sure they include physically exiting the situation.
Discuss the dramas and draw some conclusions from among the students as to what are effective responses to peer pressure.
For the next part of the lesson, you will read a series of statements concerning smoking, drinking, and drug use. Ask students to guess out loud whether the statements you are going to read are true or false. Some of the students will know other facts that they will want to share. Some will question some of these facts. Explain that the facts were researched by the authors of the book and are reliable.
What Do You Really Know about Smoking, Drinking and Drugs?
Smoking
1. 25% of all cancer deaths are attributed to tobacco use. (True)
2. Smoking as few as 1-4 cigarettes a day doubles the risk of heart disease. (True)
3. Lung cancer caused by smoking is the number one cancer killer among men. (True)
4. The substances which make up a cigarette are not good for you, but they are not poisonous. (False)
5. Most people addicted to cigarettes begin to smoke during their teen years. (True)
6. Secondary smoke (the smoke a non-smoking person inhales when with those who are smoking) is not harmful. (False)
7. One-third of all American hospital beds are occupied by people with tobacco-related diseases. (True)
8. 50% of all heart disease deaths in women are a result of smoking. (True)
9. One cigarette a day is not harmful for a healthy person. (False)
10. Among women, lung cancer caused by smoking kills more than breast cancer. (True)
Drinking
1. A healthy man can safely drink three beers in an hour without feeling out of control or sluggish. (False)
2. Alcohol mixed with certain other drugs may cause death. (True)
3. Hard liquor (whiskey, rum, gin, vodka, etc.) is worse for your body than other types of alcohol (wine, beer, etc.). (False)
4. Alcohol is a poison. (True)
5. At least half of all auto accidents are a result of drinking and driving. (True)
6. Alcohol impairs the drinker's ability to react quickly. (True)
7. Alcohol poisons the liver and can kill body tissue. (True)
8. Pregnant women should not drink because research has proven that alcohol can damage the unborn child and sometimes causes mental retardation. (True)
9. Most alcoholics are low class men who have little education. (False)
10. Alcohol impairs the senses, sometimes making the drinker feel warm in dangerously cold weather. (True)
11. A teenager can become an alcoholic from drinking just beer. (True)
12. Most alcoholics begin drinking before the age of twenty. (True)
13. Once an alcoholic decides to give up drinking, he/she can be cured. (False)
14. If you become an [[#|alcoholic]], you are an alcoholic for life. (True)
15. Some people drink in order to feel more relaxed and comfortable. (True)
16. Every time a person becomes drunk, he/she destroys brain cells which are impossible to replace. (True)
17. Alcohol is a drug which stimulates your central nervous system, making you feel free and energetic. (False)
Drugs
1. Most drugs do not cause serious health problems if used in moderation. (False)
2. People on drugs sometimes commit violent criminal offenses and do not remember the event later. (True)
3. Marijuana is associated with a loss of enthusiasm or interest in activities which the user once enjoyed. (True)
4. Cocaine can cause death after just one use. (True)
5. There are many unknown poisonous substances in every marijuana cigarette. (True)
6. After the use of certain drugs, like heroin, the user needs to use more of that substance to obtain the same effect. (True)
7. You cannot get AIDS from an infected drug needle. (False)
8. Drugs prescribed by a doctor can be harmful and cause serious health problems when taken for too long or improperly. (True)
9. Continued use of crack (cocaine) destroys your ability to experience pleasure. (True)
10. Marijuana has over 450 chemicals, some of which alter one’s thinking and affect different parts of the body. (True)
11. Some drugs, like heroin, cocaine, and opium, create a craving for them in the body so that getting and taking the drug feels like an actual survival need. (True)
Mention that these facts should help them make the decision as to whether to give in to peer pressure to smoke, drink, or use drugs.